Jeffrey Ashby

Last updated

Jeffrey Ashby
Jeffrey S Ashby.jpg
Born
Jeffrey Shears Ashby

(1954-06-16) June 16, 1954 (age 69)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Education University of Idaho (BS)
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (MS)
Awards Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal
Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank Captain, USN
Time in space
27d 16h 19m
Selection NASA Group 15 (1994)
Missions STS-93
STS-100
STS-112
Mission insignia
 Sts-93-patch.jpg STS-100 patch.svg Sts-112-patch.png
RetirementJune 2008

Jeffrey Shears Ashby (born June 16, 1954) is an American mechanical engineer, and former naval officer and aviator, test pilot and NASA astronaut, a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions. He is a retired Captain in the U.S. Navy. He currently works for Blue Origin as chief of mission assurance.

Contents

Personal data

Jeff Ashby was born on June 16, 1954, in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Evergreen, Colorado, southwest of Denver. He graduated from Evergreen High School in 1972. He attended the University of Idaho as a member of the school's joint Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1976. He later earned a Master of Science degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee in 1993. [1]

Ashby is a 1986 graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as "TOPGUN", and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. As a test pilot in the U.S. Navy, Ashby helped develop the F/A-18 aircraft and flew the aircraft in combat missions as part of Operation Desert Storm and Operation Southern Watch during and after the Gulf War and as part of Operation Continue Hope in Somalia. He was the Navy Attack Aviator of the Year in 1991. Ashby commanded a Fighter Squadron stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln; in 1994, his squadron was designated the top F/A-18 squadron in the Navy. [1]

During Desert Storm while based on the USS Midway (CV-41), Ashby became the first F/A-18 pilot to deploy the Walleye TV guided bomb in combat. During that mission, his F/A-18A Hornet from VFA-195 deployed a Walleye II to attack a T-shaped building at Umm Qasr Naval Base. According to him, it was also the first time that his Air Wing (Carrier Air Wing 5) had used the Walleye in combat. [2]

Later in the war, on February 13, 1991, [3] Ashby and his wingman found and destroyed a camouflaged Iraqi Super Frelon helicopter which had been armed with Exocet cruise missiles that could've attacked the Midway. Ashby released a Walleye I into the helicopter and brought back TV footage of the attack back to Midway. This allowed the Persian Gulf carriers to move closer to Kuwait. [1] [2] After the war, the aircraft he flew on the Super Frelon strike (NF-104), was displayed at NAF Atsugi in Japan in May 1991. [2]

Ashby accumulated over 7,000 flight hours and 1,000 carrier landings during six aircraft carrier deployments in his Navy career. [1]

NASA career

Ashby preparing for launch of STS-112 STS-112 Ashby prepares for launch.jpg
Ashby preparing for launch of STS-112

Ashby was selected as an astronaut candidate in December 1994 at age 40. He was initially scheduled to be the pilot on STS-85 in 1997 but was replaced due to a family illness. [4] He piloted Space Shuttle missions STS-93 in July 1999 and STS-100 in April 2001, and commanded STS-112 in October 2002.

His first flight, aboard Columbia, deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Ashby's latter two flights aboard Endeavour and Atlantis were the sixth and ninth assembly missions for the International Space Station. He has traveled over 11 million miles, flown 436 orbits around the Earth, and logged over 660 hours (27.5 days) in space. [1]

Post-NASA career

Ashby was hired by Jeff Bezos's private spaceflight company Blue Origin as the Chief of Mission Assurance, [5] where he works to assure safety for human space flight. [6] He lives in Twin Lakes, Lake County, Colorado.

On July 15, 2019, Ashby sustained severe injuries after falling 500 feet near the summit of La Plata Peak mountain. He was located later that night and transported to the hospital after being recovered the following morning. [7]

Awards and decorations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael J. Smith</span> American astronaut (1945–1986)

Michael John Smith, was an American engineer and astronaut. He served as the pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission, breaking up 73 seconds into the flight, and at an altitude of 48,000 feet (14.6 km), killing all seven crew members. Smith's voice was the last one heard on the Challenger voice recorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe F. Edwards Jr.</span> American astronaut, aviator and engineer (born 1958)

Joe Frank Edwards Jr., , is an American aerospace engineer,former naval officer, aviator, test pilot and NASA astronaut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Cockrell</span> American astronaut and engineer (born 1950)

Kenneth Dale "Taco" Cockrell is a retired American astronaut, engineer and a veteran of five Space Shuttle missions. He served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1997 to 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie</span> American astronaut (born 1957)

Dominic Lee Pudwill Gorie is a retired United States Navy officer and NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Coats</span> American aerospace engineer, test pilot, and astronaut (born 1946)

Michael Lloyd Coats is a former NASA astronaut, raised in Riverside, California. From December 2005 to December 2012, he served as Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Hauck</span> American captain and astronaut (born 1941)

Frederick Hamilton "Rick" Hauck is a retired captain in the United States Navy, a former fighter pilot and NASA astronaut. He piloted Space Shuttle mission STS-7 and commanded STS-51-A and STS-26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard N. Richards</span> American astronaut and aviator (born 1946)

Richard Noel "Dick" Richards, , is a retired American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, chemical engineer, and a former NASA astronaut. He flew aboard four Space Shuttle missions in the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Gardner</span> American astronaut (1948–2014)

Dale Allan Gardner was a NASA astronaut, and naval flight officer who flew two Space Shuttle missions during the mid 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald E. Williams</span> American test pilot, astronaut and engineer (1942–2016)

Donald Edward Williams was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, mechanical engineer and NASA astronaut. He logged a total of 287 hours and 35 minutes in space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Rominger</span> American astronaut (born 1956)

Kent Vernon "Rommel" Rominger is an American former astronaut, former NASA Chief of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center, and a captain in the United States Navy. Rominger holds the Space Shuttle Orbiter flight time record with 1610 hours. He joined ATK Launch Systems Group in 2006 as Vice President of Advanced Programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Brandenstein</span> American astronaut and test pilot (born 1943)

Daniel Charles Brandenstein is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of United Space Alliance. He is a former Naval Aviator, test pilot and NASA astronaut, who flew four Space Shuttle missions. He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1987 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David M. Walker (astronaut)</span> American astronaut (1944–2001)

David Mathieson Walker, , was an American naval officer and aviator, fighter pilot, test pilot, and a former NASA astronaut. He flew aboard four Space Shuttle missions in the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Oliver Creighton</span> American astronaut (born 1943)

John Oliver Creighton, , is a former NASA astronaut who flew three Space Shuttle missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank L. Culbertson Jr.</span> American naval officer, aviator, and astronaut (born 1949)

Frank Lee Culbertson Jr. is an American former naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, NASA astronaut, graduate of the US Naval Academy, and member of the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. He served as the commander of the International Space Station for almost four months in 2001 and was the only U.S. citizen not on Earth when the September 11 attacks occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John L. Phillips</span> American astronaut (born 1951)

John Lynch Phillips is a NASA astronaut. Phillips is also a Naval Aviator and retired captain, United States Navy Reserve. Phillips has received numerous awards and special honors. He is a National Merit Scholar, graduated 2nd in his class of 906 people at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1972. Phillips has also been awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Gagarin Medal and several others. Phillips has logged over 4,400 flight hours and 250 aircraft carrier landings, flying the A-7 Corsair II carrier-based light attack aircraft while on active duty in the Regular Navy and subsequently during his time as a Navy Reservist from 1982 to 2002. At the time of his retirement, Phillips had retained the rank of captain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William F. Readdy</span> American test pilot, astronaut and manager (born 1952)

William Francis Readdy is a former Associate Administrator of the Office of Space Flight, at NASA Headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan G. Poindexter</span> American test pilot and astronaut (1961–2012)

Alan Goodwin "Dex" Poindexter was an American naval officer and a NASA astronaut. Poindexter was selected in the 1998 NASA Group (G17) and went into orbit aboard Space Shuttle missions STS-122 and STS-131.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory C. Johnson</span>

Gregory Carl "Ray J" Johnson, , is a retired American naval officer and naval aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and NASA astronaut. He spent his military career in both the regular United States Navy and the Navy Reserve. Johnson was the pilot on Space Shuttle mission STS-125, the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randolph Bresnik</span> United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut on three expeditions

Randolph James "Komrade" Bresnik is a retired officer in the United States Marine Corps and an active NASA astronaut. A Marine Aviator by trade, Bresnik was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 19 in May 2004. He first launched to space on STS-129, then served as flight engineer for Expedition 52, and as ISS commander for Expedition 53.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry E. Wilmore</span> American astronaut

Barry Eugene "Butch" Wilmore is a NASA astronaut and United States Navy test pilot. He has had two spaceflights, the first of which was an 11-day Space Shuttle mission in November 2009, to the International Space Station. Wilmore was designated as pilot with five other crew members on Space Shuttle Atlantis for the mission STS-129. He most recently served as part of Expedition 41 to the International Space Station.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Biographical Data – Jeffrey S. Ashby (Captain, USN, Ret.)" (PDF). NASA. January 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 The Pursuit of Precision. AGM-62 Walleye The TV-Guided Glide Bomb . Retrieved April 11, 2024– via www.youtube.com.
  3. ↑ From the Sea: 1990 - 1999 (PDF). United States Navy.
  4. ↑ Harwood, William (January 19, 2011). "Injured astronaut replaced on shuttle Discovery's crew". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  5. ↑ Cofield, Calla (June 22, 2015). "Blue Origin Offers Tantalizing Preview of Private Space Trips (Video)". Space.com . Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  6. ↑ DuBois, Shelley (June 29, 2012). "What biz leaders can learn from astronauts – Former astronaut Jeffrey Ashby discusses what it takes to make last-minute judgment calls in space and building a solid team". CNN Money . Archived from the original on July 3, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Former NASA astronaut rescued after Colorado hiking fall". The Denver Channel . Associated Press. July 19, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.